This committee promotes the conservation of the environment of the Village of Rye Brook by acting in an advisory capacity to the Village Board of Trustees, and by serving as liaison between the Board and the Rye Brook community on such matter as programs, areas, facilities, public relations and other matters pertaining to conservation of the environment. The Committee meets the first Thursday of every month in the Rear Board Room of Village Hall.

New Sustainable Initiatives! - Effective June 1, 2019

Plastic Bag Legislation: Under this legislation, single-use plastic bags carryout bags are not permitted with exceptions such as produce bags, dry-cleaning bags, etc. This local law defines a reusable plastic bag as having a thickness of at least 2.25mil. Also, this legislation requires stores to place a $0.10 surcharge per paper bag. The purpose of the surcharge is to discourage the reliance on single use bags and encourage customers to utilize reusable bags. The fee will be kept by the business in order to help offset expenses brought on by compliance with this new law.

Plastic Straw Legislation: This law requires food service establishments to provide plastic beverage straws solely upon request of the customer. For most businesses, this entails putting the plastic straws behind the counter. This would inform and hopefully encourage patrons on how they can reduce plastic pollution by not using a single use plastic straw. Paper straws and other biodegradable alternatives can remain on counters.

In June 2018, the Village of Rye Brook launched a Food Scrap Recycling program where residents can collect their food scraps and bring them to our designated drop-off in the parking lot at Village Hall. These materials are carted to a licensed compost facility where they are converted into nutrient rich top-soil. Composting food waste, rather than throwing it the garbage, prevents organic materials from going into landfills or being burned and returns valuable nutrients to the enviroment.

Compost starter kits are available for $20 in the Administration Department at Village Hall. Buying a kit is not a requirement to participate in the program, but we offer them for convenience. Each kit includes a 2-gallon counter-top bin with a vented lid, a roll of 25 2-gallon biodegradable bags, a 5-gallon transfer bin for storage/carrying materials to Village Hall, a Food Scrap Recycling Program guide, and a map of the drop-off site at Village Hall.

Click here to access the electronic version of the Food Scrap Recycling Guide

Looking to donate Second Hand Goods?

The Committee has but together a helpful guide on where to donate/recycle second hand goods! Click here for the Where to Donate/Recycle Guide.

Find us on Facebook!

Check out the Sustainability Committee on Facebook to see what green initiatives are occuring in the Village